Originally, the medieval bestiary, or book of animals, set out to establish safe distinctions—between them and us—but Ted Hughes's poetry works always in a contrary direction: showing what man and beast have in common. Hughes said that he thought of his poems as animals, meaning that he wanted them to have "a vivid life of their own." Spanning 50 years, Alice Oswald's selection of his animal-themed poems is arranged chronologically, including such poems as "Stealing Trout on a May Morning," "The Skylark Came," "Crows Fall," "The Eel," and selections from his award-winning swan song, Birthday Letters.